Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 27 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the Startup Samvad program under Mukhya Sevak Samvad at Mukhya Sevak Sadan Dehradun on Sunday. During this time, he interacted with people promoting startups from across the state and heard their valuable suggestions. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also released a book titled Unnat Uttarakhand and visited various stalls based on various startups.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has set a target of creating 1000 startups by setting up an incubation centre in every district in the next five years. "Entrepreneurship-related courses have also been implemented in universities and colleges, as well as a dedicated startup portal has also been started. Uttarakhand Venture Fund has also been established with Rs 200 crore to promote startups in the state. The state government is providing financial assistance, technical guidance and infrastructure support to startups. The startup ecosystem is being properly developed in the state," he said.
The Chief Minister urged the state's youth to come forward and start startups, taking advantage of government schemes. He said that the youth have to become job givers, not job seekers. The Chief Minister said that a new work culture has been infused in the country. "Today, those who bring change in society through innovation are being given a proper platform. The talented youth of the country are also giving employment to others through innovation," the CM said.
He said that the state of Uttarakhand is walking hand in hand with the whole country in the field of startups.
The Chief Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has emerged as a global hub of startups. "Schemes like Startup India, Make in India, and RAMP Yojana have opened new avenues for the youth. The state government is also taking Uttarakhand forward in the field of startups. A better ecosystem has been developed for startups in the state. Startup Policy 2023 has been implemented in the state. Under which a grant of up to Rs 15 lakh for seed funding and an allowance of up to Rs 22 thousand per month for the initial stage is being provided," the CM said.
The Chief Minister said that the government is promoting new startups by setting up Centres of Excellence in the state. He said that all the incubation centres in the state have been linked to educational institutions.
"The government is setting up a world-class Uttarakhand Innovation Hub (U-Hub) in the IT Park in Dehradun at a cost of Rs 60 crore as the nodal incubation centre for all these. As a result of the efforts of the state government, more than 1300 startups of the state have been recognised by the Government of India. Fifty per cent of the startups have been started by women," the CM added.
He said that a startup is the power of new ideas, the courage to make dreams come true and the resolve to take our country forward.
Design Studio founder Shraddha Negi expressed her gratitude to the Chief Minister and said that the state government is working to provide a new identity to startups. She said that she herself is promoting Vocal for Local, and she is trying to bring Uttarakhand's cultural heritage to the world stage. She urged the Chief Minister to include local art, architecture and crafts in One District One Product.
Integrated Maritime Exchange Pvt. Ltd. Kunal Uniyal of DRDO said that the state government always supports them to promote startups. He urged the Chief Minister to formulate a policy for digital infrastructure and include it in state-level innovation missions.
Vikas Shah of Palx Motors told the Chief Minister that he has developed a high-performance electric bike for the Himalayan region. For which he received financial assistance in the beginning. He urged the Chief Minister to make provision for a subsidy to take innovations forward from the initial stage and also to reduce the tax imposed by the government.
Babita Singh, founder of Himgrace Organics, who came from Pithoragarh, said that she is working to promote farmers by doing farming in rural areas. She urged the Chief Minister to provide special assistance to people promoting startups in rural areas. She said that special care should also be taken to ensure that basic facilities reach the place where a startup is started.
Swarleen Kaur from Runway-UPES said that startups in the state are getting excellent support through Uttarakhand Venture Fund (UVI), which is commendable. She urged the Chief Minister to integrate private incubators like Runway under these initiatives.
Chandramani Kumar, founder of Agrijoy LLP, said that he has returned to the hills and is starting an agricultural business through protected farming. He urged the Chief Minister to provide free cold storage facilities to people starting startups.